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I am Cindy – Welcome to my MAC Journey

Author: Cindy

I am Cindy – Welcome to my MAC Journey

My name is Cindy and as you already figured out I will be blogging about my journey in the Jenkins Master of Accounting Program at NC State’s Poole College of Management for the class of 2016.

I am originally from Hamburg, Germany, and moved to the United States in 2011. I lived in Rhode Island for about a year and moved to North Carolina when my husband joined the military and we got stationed at Fort Bragg. This is where my accounting journey began. I received my undergraduate degrees in accounting and banking and finance from Fayetteville State University. I had communicated to several of my professors that I was debating whether or not I should pursue grad school. The response was the same. Go to NC State for your MAC!

Why NC State’s MAC Program?

After everyone recommended the program, I had to do my own research and this is what stuck out to me:

  • NC State has an incredibly high job placement rate: 95-100% 3 months after graduation
  • It has 3 concentrations: Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), IT, and Tax Strategy
  • It has amazing national rankings
  • It is close to where I live
  • It is affordable

After I had communicated to the head of the accounting department at FSU that I was interested in NC State he called Michael Graham, Assistant Director of Admissions of the MAC Program, and invited him to come to our school to talk to students and answer all the questions they had. I remember  I had a million questions and he patiently answered all of them. So this is what I found out:

  • NC State helps with the CPA Review and has a well-developed and structured plan on how their graduate students can pass the CPA
  • If you do not have a job offer from a firm, which will mostly cover your CPA review material, the MAC Program will cover them
  • An exceptionally high percentage of their students passes the CPA
  • It has the “Meet the Firms” event where students meet about 20 firms and get invited to interviews
  • It organizes many networking and social events that put you in contact with faculty, MAC alumni, and employees from many different firms

So, I was convinced that NC State is where I needed to be. Matter of fact, I put all my eggs in one basket and only applied to NC State. I knew right away I made the right decision!

Obviously I got accepted into the program because here I am. I decided to concentrate in Enterprise Risk Management and classes are in full swing. All of the faculty and staff are really caring, helpful, and encouraging. I had great resume review sessions and many talks about my future career goals and options. I am also a Teacher’s Assistant for an entry level undergrad accounting class, the Co-Social-Chair of the MAC Organization, and I am taking on the responsibility with Brian Haun to blog and tweet about everything that is going on.

What is happening next?

We are about 4 weeks into the program and have completed Meet the Firms, which will be the topic of my next blog. So, if you want to know more about my experience throughout the recruiting process make sure to read my next blog! Please feel free to comment and ask any questions you have or topics that you are interested in. You can also follow us on Twitter @ncstatemac. I am looking forward to sharing my journey and hope it will inspire you to start yours.

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